National Bat Week: 5 Surprising Facts About Bats

DARIEN, IL — It's probably no surprise that National Bat Week coincides with Halloween. The much-maligned mammals (yep, bats are mammals) have been associated with vampires, the occult, and grown men named Azrael who work at Hot Topic. National Bat Week runs Oct. 24-31 and there's no better time to brush up on your bat facts.

Bats Are Not Rodents (Or Birds)

Yes, (some) bats look like rats with wings, so it's a common misconception that bats are rodents. In fact, bats are classified as their own order, chiroptera. This might start ringing some linguistic bells because chiro- reminds people of the word "chiropractor" and -ptera conjures images of pterodactyls. If that's where your mind went, you're pretty close. Roughly translated, "chiroptera" means hand-wing.

Bats are different than other winged creatures because their wings are basically hands, making them the only mammal that can sustain flight. Three flexible "fingers," including a thumb, extend from the bats body. They're linked by a thin membrane called a patagium that allows bats to move their wings in weird and fascinating ways. Bats can even flap their wings asymmetrically (birds can't), which allows to fly in tight, quick circles to catch their prey. Spoiler alert, their prey is usually not unsuspecting humans.

Very Few Bats Are Vampires

One of the most surprising facts about bats is that very few of them suck blood to stay alive. Of the nearly 1,300 species of bats, only 3 species channel Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire when they're hungry. The remainder of bats mostly feed on insects and fruit. Yum.

Insect-eating bats gorge on thousands of insects a night. According to batrescue.org, these little guys can nosh on 1,000 insects an hour (and I thought I had a problem with french fries). This makes bats very beneficials to farmers who want to protect their crops and people who want to murder pesky mosquitoes. You can even build a bat house to keep your bat pals hanging around your home.

Vampire bats are found in South America and can consume an ounce of blood in one sitting. That's like a shot glass of blood, you guys. They usually feed on cattle and birds, but every once in a while, they do get a taste for human blood.

Some Fast Bat Stats

Among the nearly 1,300 species of bats you'll find some very diverse (and very cute) creatures. The tiniest of these is the bumblebee bat, which is smaller than a dime. The biggest bat is actually called a flying fox for its uncanny resemblance to foxes. These big guys are incredibly cute and can have a wing span of up to 6 feet across! Never fear, humans, flying foxes prefer to eat fruit. (Look it up on YouTube. You won't regret it).

The biggest bat colony in the world can be found in Comal County, Texas, where 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home inside Bracken Cave. The cave's epic bat exodus usually happens between March and October just before sunset, when you can see millions of bats flying overhead as they hurry to beat the dinner rush.

Bats can fly up to 100 mph and can live to be up to 30 years old, which is older than Bela Lugosi was when he played Dracula.

Bats and Tequila

Bela Lugosi's dead, but one of his most famous quotes from Dracula lives on: "I don't drink...wine." Despite this abstinence from boxes of Franzia, bats do have an important link to one particular spirit: tequila. One species of bat has earned the nickname "tequila bat" because it famously feeds on the agave plant and then pollinates those blessed cacti to create more fodder for tequila. So next time you raise a shot glass of José Cuervo, make sure you give a shoutout to the tequila bat. Or blame the tequila bat for whatever you don't end up remembering; it won't judge.

Bat Reproduction Is Unbelievable

There are some surprising facts about bat reproduction that are unique to chiroptera. Many bats hibernate in winter, but before they do, they get into cuffing season by finding a mate ASAP. Once the bats do their deed, the female bat will hold onto the male bats sperm in her reproductive tract until spring. Then, the ladybat becomes pregnant. Unlike rodents, other small mammals, and Octo-mom, bats often only have one pup per litter.

>>Related: BatFest Is This Weekend In Batavia

For more info on how to support bats and to print and sign your own pledge to support bats during bat week, visit batweek.org.

>>Images via Pixabay; main image via Lisa Marie Farver